When someone you know is struggling with addiction, you’ll quickly realize it impacts every aspect of their life. In turn, their loved ones are also affected in a major way. Identifying how to help in such a situation is easier said than done. For starters, it’s critical to recognize and accept that addiction is a disease. You may want to blame the person, but this will not help them recover.

Addiction has never had a positive impact on anyone. This includes the people in the addict’s life—partners, children, siblings, parents, etc. Just when you need your loved ones the most, an unhealthy substance abuse lifestyle may shatter the trust between you. You become a different person, changing in so many ways.

New relationships are commonly associated with hopeful butterflies, childish excitement, and slightly nervous laughter. But for some, what seems like the beginning of a wonderful companionship leads to sweaty palms, worrisome doubts, catastrophizing ruminations, and overwhelming anxiety.

You’ve probably heard of body positivity, and that’s a great thing because it signifies progress and encourages us to feel better about our bodies. However, while body positivity can be beneficial for some people to boost their self-esteem, confidence, and overall well-being, there is a newer approach called “Body Neutrality” that challenges some of the obstacles associated with the body positivity movement.